Venetian blind



Sept. 15, 1936. T. l. MOSELEY VENETIAN BLIND Filed Dec. 16, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 70/77/0750/7 Mose/eg BY ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 15, 1936 UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE VENETIAN BLIND Tomlinson I. Moseley, San Francisco, Calif., assignor to Dalmo Sales Corporation, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of California Application December 16, 1935, Serial No. 54,531

5 Claims.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved form of tilting mechanism which will be non-reversible, and which will dispense with the use of gears.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following description in which the preferred embodiments of the invention have been set forth'in detail, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view looking down upon the operating mechanism as installed in a window, and taken'along the line I-'-I of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view, in cross section, illustrating a blind incorporating the present invention, and taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional detail, taken along the working parts of the operative mechanism are carried by a box I I, which can be formed of suitable material such as sheet metal, and which includes a bottom wall I2 and side walls I3 and I4 (Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive). In order to removably support the box II, suitable fittings I6'are shown attached to the upper corners of the'window frame, and these fittings are. formed to provide supporting shelves II. Retaining clips I8 have forward inturned flanges I9, which overlap the edges of the wall I4, and which serve to retain the box I I in proper position. These clips are releasably engaged with studs 20, carried by the fittings I 6, whereby when the clips are detached, the box, together with operating parts carried by the same, can be removed.

The parts carried by the box II include a tubul'ar structure designated generally at 2|, which is journalled for angular turning movement about a horizontal axis. This structure, which can be conveniently formed of sheet metal, consists of an intermediate metal tube 22 having its ends fixed to'the cylindrical drums 23. -It will be noted that the tube 22 is of considerably smaller diameter than the drums 23, and that the drums together with the tube 22 are concentric with respect to-a horizontal axis. Brackets 24 serve as journals for the end portions of tube 22, and are in turn mounted upon the bottom wall I2 of the box II. I

Within the drum 23 are the pulleys 26, which are adapted to be engaged by the flexible pullcords 21a and 2'"). These pulleys are carried .by stationary brackets 28, which in turn are conventional construction and formed of suitable material, such as wood. These slats are shown carried by two pairs of flexible straps 33, which extend downwardly from the drums 23.

The lower ends. of the straps 33 are shown attached to a bottom bar 34, which has sufllcient weight to straighten out the straps 33, when the pull-cords 21a and 21b are released. The individual support for each slat, with respect to straps 33, can be formed by small cross strips 36 of suitable material such as fabric. The pullcords21a and 21b, after passing over pulleys 28, extend downwardly through openings 31 in the bottom wall I2, and through openings 38 in the slats. 32. The lower ends of these cords extend through openings 39 in the bar 34, and are attrack 44, which extends horizontally and parallel to the axis of the structure 2|. Slidably mounted .near the front wall within the track 44, there is a rider 46. Mounted upon the outer surface of tube 22, there is a cam element 41, which is curved-helicoidally as illustrated more clearly in Fig. 1. This cam element can be conveniently formed of a metal strip having its inner edge secured to the outer periphery of tube 22, and being twisted and curved helicoidally, Rider 46 is provided with a slot 49, in'which the cam'eleme'nt 41 engages. It will be evident that upon sliding the rider 46 along its track 44, engagement with cam element 41 will cause the structure M to rotate upon its axis.

For convenient operation of the rider 46, cords 5la and 512) are provided. Cord 5Ia engages over apulley 52, which in turn is carried by a mounting 53 adjacent one end of the box and I4. From pulley 52, cord 5la extends back over the track 44, and engages another pulley 54 which is mounted near the other end'of the box H. Cord 5Ib extends over a pulley 56, near the pulley 54, and from the two pulleys 54 and 56, the cords extend downwardly to a convenientposition for their operation.

The two pull-cords 21a and 21b extend from one end of the structure 2|, and engage over a pair of pulleys 51. From these pulleys the cords extend downwardly through an opening 58 in the bottom wall l2 (Fig. 6), to a convenient position for their operation. The lower ends of the cords 21a and 21b, and likewise the lower ends of cords 51aand 5lb, may be connected together. Pulleys 51 are shown carried by a suitable fixed mounting 59, which can be provided with a suitable cord pping latch '6I. This latch may be of conven al construction, and need not be described etail. In general it serves to frictionally en ge the cords 21a and 2117, when the blind is raised, whereby the blind is retained in a desired raised position. Disengagement of the latch is effected by a slight pull upon the cords 21a and 21b, accompanied by lateral swinging of the hanging cord portions from normal vertical position.

Operation of the blind described above can be briefly reviewed as follows:Assuming that the straps 33 are partially or completely extended, the slats 32 can'be tilted to any desired angle, by pullingupon the cords 5Ia and 5"). Manipulation of these cords causes sliding movement of the rider 46, which by virtue of its engagement with the cam element 41, causes angular movement of the tubular structure 2|. If it is desired to raise or lower the blind, this can be accomplished by manipulation of the cords 21a and 21b.

Desirable characteristics of my blind are as follows:-The operation mechanism is relatively simple and compact, and a minimum amount of labor is involved in installing the blind for a particular window. Smooth and positive operation is secured at all times. The cam means which is utilized in effecting angular rotation of the structure 2|, is non-reversible, in that torque exerted upon the structure 2| will not cause sliding movement of the rider 46. At the same time angular movement is transmitted to the structure 2| by sliding of the rider 46, in a positive manner, without the use of gears, and without the use of a driving pulley over which a looped cord must operate.

I claim:

1. In a blind of the Venetian type wherein slats are adapted to be tilted and to be raised and lowered by pull-cords, an elongated tubular structure, means for supporting said structure in a horizontal position for angular movement about its axis, pull-cords disposed within said structure, and means for effecting angular movement of said structure in opposite directions, said means including a rider, means serving to carry the rider for sliding movement in the direction of said axis, anda cam element acting between the rider and said structure.

2. In a blind of the Venetian type wherein slats are adapted to be tilted and to be raised and lowered by pull-cords, an elongated tubular structure, said structure comprising a pair of substantially cylindrical end drums together with a tube connecting said end drums, the tube having a smaller diameter than said drums and being concentric with respect to the same, means for supporting said structure in a horizontal position for angular movement about its axis, pullcords disposed within said structure and extending to the exterior through one end thereof, and means for turning said structure in opposite directions, said means including a rider, means serving to carry the rider for sliding movement in the direction of said axis, and a cam element acting between the rider and said structure.

3. In a blind of the Venetian type wherein slats are adapted to be tilted and to be raised and lowered by pull-cords, an elongated tubular structure, said structure comprising a pair of substantially cylindrical end drums and a tube connecting the end drums, the tube having a smaller diameter than the drums and being concentric with respect to the same, means for supporting said structure in a horizontal position for angular turning movement about its axis, pull-cords disposed within said structure and extending to the exterior from one end of the same, and means for effecting angular turning movements of said structure in opposite directions, said means including a rider, a track serving to carry the rider for sliding movement in the direction of said axis, and a curved cam element mountedupontheouter periphery of said tube and operatively engaged by said rider, said element extending between said drums.

4. In a blind of the Venetian type wherein slats are adapted to be tilted and to be raised and lowered by pull-cords, an elongated tubular structure, said structure comprising a pair of substantially cylindrical end drums together with a tube connecting the end drums, the tube having a smaller diameter than the drums and being concentric with respect to the same, means for supporting said structure in a horizontal position for turning movements about its axis, pull-cords disposed within said structure and extending to the interior through one end thereof, pulleys mounted within said drums over which said cords operate, fixed mounting for said pulleys extending to the exterior of said drums, said drums having openings in their side walls to accommodate said mountings, a pair of flexible slat supporting members depending from each of said drum portions, said elements engaging the outer peripheries of said drums and being secured to the same, and means for turning said structure about its axis in opposite directions, said last means including a rider, track means serving to carry the rider adjacent one side of said tube for sliding movements in the direction of said axis, and a curved cam element carried by the outer periphery of said tube and engaged by said rider, said cam element extending between said drums.

5.. In a blind of the Venetian type wherein slats are adapted to be tilted and to be raised and lowered, an elongated tubular structure, said structure comprising a pair of substantially cylindrical end drums together with a tube connecting the end drums, the tube having a smaller diameter than the drums and being concentric with respect to the same, means for supporting said structure in a horizontal position for angular movements about its axis in opposite directions,

pull-cords disposed within said structure and extending to the exterior, from one end of the same, pulleys mounted withinsaid end drums and engaged by said pull-cords, fixed mountings for said pulleys extending to the exterior of. said drums, said drums having openings to accommodate said mountings, flexible slat supporting members depending from said drums, the upper end portions of said members engaging the outer peripheries of said drums and being secured to the same, and means enabling rotation of said structure in opposite directions, to efiect tilting the slats carried by said flexible members.

TOMIJNSON I. MOSELEY. 

